15.2 Vegetation and Plant Characteristics and Site-Specific
Conditions
The challenge of trying to bring a broad understanding of how changes in vegetation
characteristics can alter the water balance was recognised by Calder (1986, 2005).
He developed a conceptual model which posits that plant water-use is limited by a
number of their characteristics, provided water availability is limited to water from
rainfall (Fig. 15.1). He argued that their size (generally related to their growth-form),
Fig. 15.1 The relationship between the magnitude of the hydrological impacts and the combinations of key plant traits that have been found to influence the impacts of plant invasions on water
resources relative to natural vegetation. From Le Maitre et al. (2015b)
434
D. C. Le Maitre et al.
Conditions
The challenge of trying to bring a broad understanding of how changes in vegetation
characteristics can alter the water balance was recognised by Calder (1986, 2005).
He developed a conceptual model which posits that plant water-use is limited by a
number of their characteristics, provided water availability is limited to water from
rainfall (Fig. 15.1). He argued that their size (generally related to their growth-form),
Fig. 15.1 The relationship between the magnitude of the hydrological impacts and the combinations of key plant traits that have been found to influence the impacts of plant invasions on water
resources relative to natural vegetation. From Le Maitre et al. (2015b)
434
D. C. Le Maitre et al.